The 2018 Pirelli Calendar Is a Surreal Celebration of Diversity

Tim Walker is known for his surreal imagery, and the 2018 Pirelli calendar, shot by the British photographer, delivers on all counts. Starring an all-black cast including Sean Combs, Whoopi Goldberg, Naomi Campbell, Lupita Nyong’o, RuPaul, Lil Yachty, Duckie Thot, Zoe Bedeaux, Slick Woods, Sasha Lane, Djimon Hounsou, and Adwoa Aboah, the 2018 Calendar is a fantastical retelling of Alice in Wonderland for the modern age. “I wanted to go back to the genesis of the imagination behind Lewis Carroll so that you could tell it from the very beginning again. I wanted to find a different and original angle,” said Walker. Thot stars as Alice in Walker’s retelling, making her way through the protagonist’s trials alongside an A-list cast.

The new surreal calendar follows two years of rebranding for the onetime sexy publication. In 2016, Pirelli enlisted Annie Leibovitz to photograph strong women fully clothed, and last year the company contracted Peter Lindbergh to shoot famous actresses without any makeup at all. This year’s calendar marks the brand’s first all-black cast since 1987. It was conceptualized with the help of British Vogue Editor in Chief Edward Enninful, who said, “To see a black Alice today means children of all races can embrace the idea of diversity from a young age and also acknowledge that beauty comes in all colors.”